I can safely say that all of us have experienced the same, no one can maintain a constant state of being/doing well forever; life isn't like that whether you have bipolar or not. If you know that stress at work has contributed to your current depression, then it might be good for you to figure out how you can either reduce the stress or deal with it better so that it doesn't continue to have the same effect on you. I don't know if you have a therapist you can talk with or anyone else that you trust who you can sort of bounce things off of; but if you do, I would certainly start there. Sometimes we need help to get through various situations that come up in our lives.

Try to not consider this a setback, but an opportunity for you to grow and become a stronger person! This is temporary, not a permanent dwelling place. Do whatever it takes that leads you in the direction of health, and you will find yourself getting stronger!

Take care

Debbie

Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past could have been any different --Unknown

I can safely say that all of us have experienced the same, no one can maintain a constant state of being/doing well forever; life isn't like that whether you have bipolar or not. If you know that stress at work has contributed to your current depression, then it might be good for you to figure out how you can either reduce the stress or deal with it better so that it doesn't continue to have the same effect on you. I don't know if you have a therapist you can talk with or anyone else that you trust who you can sort of bounce things off of; but if you do, I would certainly start there. Sometimes we need help to get through various situations that come up in our lives.

Try to not consider this a setback, but an opportunity for you to grow and become a stronger person! This is temporary, not a permanent dwelling place. Do whatever it takes that leads you in the direction of health, and you will find yourself getting stronger!

As soon as I felt symptoms, I tried to change the work that I was doing. Unfortunately this was too late.

Do you mind me asking how long your relapse lasted please?

I had the most horrible feelings of anxiety for a few days.
Now after increasing my Quetiapine from 300 mg to 400 mg, that has eased, but now I feel tired weepy and not able to concentrate.
Do you recognise those symptoms please?

As soon as I felt symptoms, I tried to change the work that I was doing. Unfortunately this was too late.

Do you mind me asking how long your relapse lasted please?

I had the most horrible feelings of anxiety for a few days.
Now after increasing my Quetiapine from 300 mg to 400 mg, that has eased, but now I feel tired weepy and not able to concentrate.
Do you recognise those symptoms please?

It's kind of hard for me to answer your question "how long my relapse lasted?" because I don't see them as relapses, but ebbs and flows of life. I've never been one to use the typical "mental health" terms in my life...heck, I never even used the word "bipolar" until I came here. So words like "relapse" "hypo-mania" "suicidal ideation" and other such words have no meaning to me personally. I would rather just address the problem then put a name or label to it because, for example, relapse is such a general/generic word - I'd rather talk about, face, deal with what it actually means in my life at the time. Also, the word "relapse" (to me) is negative and discouraging. It means to go backwards; to slip into bad ways, to backslide. So to me, those are not words of hope, but only make me feel guilty and bad about myself. So instead of saying or believing that I had a relapse of sorts, I believe that I'm going through a period in my life where I have the opportunity to grow as a human being - that there's something inside of me that I'm ready to work on, and it's showing itself so I can address it and move on. I can choose to ignore it or I can embrace it, and let myself go through whatever it is at the time I need to experience, even if that's depression (for a season) - sometimes depression can be a good thing, if you don't let it overpower you, but you use it as something you can learn and grow from.

To me, ups and downs are normal. For those of us who have bipolar, then of course, we need to make sure that our ups and downs don't go beyond that, and if/when they do, recognize that sometimes a medication adjustment is needed. But other than that, doing well does not mean you'll never experience moments where you feel depression or anxiety, etc., but partly as opportunities to learn to get better at having control over our feelings with our mind. Our minds are much more powerful than we often give it credit for - with our minds, we can control our feelings rather than they control us!

I'm sorry I couldn't answer your questions like you may have hoped.

Debbie

Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past could have been any different --Unknown

It's kind of hard for me to answer your question "how long my relapse lasted?" because I don't see them as relapses, but ebbs and flows of life. I've never been one to use the typical "mental health" terms in my life...heck, I never even used the word "bipolar" until I came here. So words like "relapse" "hypo-mania" "suicidal ideation" and other such words have no meaning to me personally. I would rather just address the problem then put a name or label to it because, for example, relapse is such a general/generic word - I'd rather talk about, face, deal with what it actually means in my life at the time. Also, the word "relapse" (to me) is negative and discouraging. It means to go backwards; to slip into bad ways, to backslide. So to me, those are not words of hope, but only make me feel guilty and bad about myself. So instead of saying or believing that I had a relapse of sorts, I believe that I'm going through a period in my life where I have the opportunity to grow as a human being - that there's something inside of me that I'm ready to work on, and it's showing itself so I can address it and move on. I can choose to ignore it or I can embrace it, and let myself go through whatever it is at the time I need to experience, even if that's depression (for a season) - sometimes depression can be a good thing, if you don't let it overpower you, but you use it as something you can learn and grow from.

To me, ups and downs are normal. For those of us who have bipolar, then of course, we need to make sure that our ups and downs don't go beyond that, and if/when they do, recognize that sometimes a medication adjustment is needed. But other than that, doing well does not mean you'll never experience moments where you feel depression or anxiety, etc., but partly as opportunities to learn to get better at having control over our feelings with our mind. Our minds are much more powerful than we often give it credit for - with our minds, we can control our feelings rather than they control us!

Related Drug Reviews

Report Problems With Your Medications to the FDA

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

The opinions expressed in WebMD Communities are solely those of the User, who may or may not have medical or scientific training. These opinions do not represent the opinions of WebMD. Communities are not reviewed by a WebMD physician or any member of the WebMD editorial staff for accuracy, balance, objectivity, or any other reason except for compliance with our Terms and Conditions. Some of these opinions may contain information about treatments or uses of drug products that have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. WebMD does not endorse any specific product, service or treatment.

Do not consider Communities as medical advice. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider because of something you have read on WebMD. You should always speak with your doctor before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your care plan or treatment. WebMD understands that reading individual, real-life experiences can be a helpful resource, but it is never a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a qualified health care provider. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or dial 911 immediately.